Zephaniah 3:20
“At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God closes the book by promising to bring His people home, restore their fortunes, and make them honored among all nations.
What Does Zephaniah 3:20 Mean?
The book ends on its highest note of hope. God promises to bring His people home, to gather them, to make them a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth when He turns back their captivity before their very eyes. The repetition of bring you and gather you underlines the certainty, and it is sealed with the assurance, saith the LORD.
What a closing word for a book that began in such darkness. The captivity will be reversed before their eyes; they will see their restoration with their own sight. The shame of exile becomes honor among the nations. This is the steadfast hope of all who belong to God: that He will gather His scattered people and bring them home at last. It is fulfilled and surpassed in Christ, who gathers the redeemed from every land into the everlasting joy of God's presence. The God who promises also performs, for He has spoken it.
In the Original Language
shub shebut (שוּב שְׁבוּת), 'turn back your captivity' -- the same idiom of restoration used earlier, the full reversal of loss into homecoming and blessing.